Book Translated by OC's Berlin Fang Wins Top Prize in China

Friday, Dec 17, 2010

One of OC’s own was responsible in part for literature news out China this week. Berlin Fang, the associate director of the North Institute for academic technology, nominated Irish-American author Colum McCann’s book, “Let The Great World Spin,” for the grand prize in the Best Foreign Novels Awards held by the Chinese Society of American Literature. The book won the “Weishanhu” prize this week. Fang was asked by the Society’s president to submit the book after translating it into Chinese for one of China’s top publishers.

Fang has translated 12 best-selling English-language books into Chinese, with many of those translations becoming best-sellers in China. He is currently translating William Faulkner’s work, “The Sound and The Fury.” According to OC literature professor Cami Agan, this is one of the most difficult and finest works of American literature.

“I am so blessed to be able to cultivate this hobby, especially with all the support I receive from OC,” Fang said.

Just last summer, Fang received a grant to translate another book by McCann, “Songdogs,” in Ireland at the same writing center in which McCann wrote the book. Other works Fang has translated include “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith, “A Bend In The River” by Nobel prize-winner W.S. Nepal, Annie Pruh’s “That Old Ace in The Hole” and “The Last Testament of Oscar Wilde” by Peter Ackroyd. Fang is also a widely quoted and interviewed source in Chinese media based on his Chinese language blog where he discusses education and technology, faith and his experience as a Chinese American.